The Friends of the Red Kite (FoRK) group have described the shooting as a new blow to establishing a viable population of the rare birds across the North East.

It came just after an adult female red kite was found shot and injured near Malton, North Yorkshire.

FoRK’s welfare officer Allan Withrington said he was “disgusted and disappointed” at the shooting.

“That anyone could even think about shooting these beautiful, graceful birds is beyond my comprehension,” he said.

“We are saddened by yet another wildlife crime and look forward to hearing the results of the police investigation.”

A total of 94 young red kites were reintroduced from 2004 into the Derwent Valley in Gateshead but conservationists have expressed concern that the birds have not expanded beyond their core area in the last 11 years.

Two red kites were poisoned in the nearby area of High Spen in 2014 after ingesting the pesticide Methiocarb.

A third, discovered at Edmundbyers in County Durham in the same year, had died from poisoning by Carbofuran, one of the most toxic of pesticides which is banned in the EU.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “On March 28 we received a report expressing concern for a red kite bird that had been found dead in Chopwell Wood in Gateshead.

“The caller had taken the bird to a vet where it was confirmed that it had been shot.

“Enquiries are ongoing into the incident anyone who has information is asked to report it on 101.”